Sega Fan Art Showcase 2012

There was some stunning fan art submitted to the Sega Memories DeviantArt group throughout 2012, so many it's hard to just pick a handful, but are just some of the highlights from the past year of the amazing talent who love these Sega games, covering a whole range of different franchises including some real surprises. Enjoy!

Alex Kidd by Vandrell

Sonic Advemture - Total Chaos by Stephenb19

many more after the jump!

First4figures latest statue announcement is...well..

How this for a Christmas present? First4Figures have today put out a preview of an upcoming statue. However, it is NOT a Sonic character. I have put the image after the jump because, well... it's a biggun.

Sonic UK Christmas Cracker toys

I've been sitting on this article idea since I had it back in the summer, because obviously it makes sense to write about Christmas related Sega merch near the actual time, right? We're not like a TV channel that repeats xmas specials at random times of the year! Either way, while these toys are not particularly Christmassy, they were sold in Christmas crackers here in the UK back in the heydays of early 90s Sonic mania. Take note the palm tree thing in the above photo was just some souvenir from a holiday we had lying about and not part of the set, in case you were wondering. Check out more photos after the break!

Sega Arcade Classics book is here!

My copy of Hardcore Gaming Presents: Sega Arcade Classics Volume 1 arrived yesterday morning! The front cover looks even more beautiful in print, and the book itself is larger than I was expecting, larger than a majority of these Japanese Sega books I have anyway. More photos after the jump!

Buy Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed at Gamestop, get a new car!

Those who follow SEGA news over at SEGAbits (plug plug) may have read about the marketing tie-in Hot Wheels and Danica Patrick had with SEGA. The team up has been a long and winding road, filled with complaining fans, happy fans, stupid moments and cool moments. Danica Patrick may have been an odd addition to Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed's roster, but I think most SEGA fans can agree that the car she raced at Texas Motor Speedway in November looked awesome. Okay, so that explains why Danica was in the game. Her SEGA connection was racing with SEGA as a sponsor in real life. But why in the world was she driving a Hot Wheels branded car in the game? Well, back in October 2012, SEGA revealed a Hot Wheels Danicar (a toy car designed by Danica Patrick back in 2011) with SEGA branding. The car was to be given out at select retailers to those who bought the game. Awesome! Free merch, and a reason for a Hot Wheels car being in the game. 

Max Overload! UK Sega Comics beyond S.T.C!

What a cool thing to stumble upon. Toejam & Earl along with it's sequel Panic on Funkotron were re-released on the Playstation network and Xbox Live Arcade, and you should grab them, because they are excellent ports much like the other recent Sega Vintage Collection games, with awesome remix music on the menus, online co-op and challenges with leaderboards.

Anyway, these re-releases made me go do a search on Ebay for any Toejam and earl stuff I can find. I already have a rather awesome large badge of them, and own the two original Mega Drive games of course, but I also saw this magazine called Max Overload.

Apparently this Dark Horse joint only lasted for two issues in 1994, and so far no one has obtained a copy of the second issue. Thankfully, excellent comic book blog TwoHeaded Thingies has the first issue and has scanned the juiciest parts of the magazine...comic strips!

This was a a video game magazine with bonus comics, so like Sonic the Comic but with more magazine-y stuff like reviews. It was not strictly a Sega magazine, but two out of the four comics featured were based on Sega franchises, and the other two were also based on games well known on the Sega systems. Check out what those were after the jump!

Hardcore Gaming 101 presents Sega Arcade Classics Book!

The English release of the History of Sonic book is due sometime in December, but at the same time we now have another Sega book to look forward to! Hardcore Gaming 101 has revealed Sega Arcade Classics Volume 1, which will contain articles about the best Sega franchises that started in the 80s, including Space Harrier, Alex Kidd, Shinobi, After Burner, Outrun, Wonder Boy and many more. As far as I can tell the book will also go into these games console ports and spin offs.

Of particular note is the beautiful cover art by none over than Jonathan "Persona" Kim, who is most well known for working on the Scott Pilgrim game and Skullgirls, and has done plenty of Sega fan art over the years. Loving the inclusion of Dynamite Dux, the Quartlet gang and even Teddy Boy there!

The book will be available to pre-order on Amazon (no link yet) sometime in December, with a $10 black and white version and a $25 full colour version, as well as a Kindle release for just $5. Hopefully the "volume 1" is an indication they have a 2nd volume in the works if this one sells well, so get on it!

Oh yeah and while you're at it go get Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which just released here today.  Do it now.

UPDATE: It's out! You can get it from the following:

US Amazon: Color - $25.00
US Amazon: Black & White - $9.99
UK Amazon: Color - £15.99
UK Amazon: Black & White - £6.99
DE Amazon: Color - €21.39
DE Amazon: Black & White - €8.55
PDF Download at Sellfy - $4.99

Grabbed my copy, will show photos and review it when it arrives!

Shadow the Hedgehog statue announced by First 4 Figures

First 4 Figures have announced another one of their Sonic the Hedgehog statues. This time, the company are adding Shadow to their line of modern era statues, which began with Sonic the Hedgehog. The Sonic statue as well as the Shadow statue have yet to release. But both are available for pre-order, with Sonic slated for a Q1 2013 release, and Shadow slated for an unspecified date. First 4 Figures, however, has revealed the pre-order date, which begins November 11th. Those who have been collecting all of these statues as well as the Shadow fans out there should be very happy to hear the news.

Where's Sonic? He might be in any of these four books.

What goes around comes around. A new book has just been released in the UK called Where's Sonic? A search and find adventure. Funnily enough, this idea, right down to the title, was already done back in Sonic's heyday in the early 90's, both with a pair of books in the UK and also with the different titled Search & Find Sonic the Hedgehog in America. To think there are now four books based on this same exact premise, inspired by the Where's wally/Waldo books. How do they all compare to one another? We'll check them all out after the jump!

Sonic the Hedgehog Monopoly - Unboxing

My Sonic the Hedgehog Monopoly arrived from Amazon today, so I thought I'd do a quick unboxing. I've yet to play it, but I'd assume it's like playing Monopoly, but a lot more fun thanks to the Sonic theme. There are a few fun nods to past games in the cards, but nothing mind blowing. Still, a very well put together set that I definitely recommend.

'The best Sega Fanboy video ever. Recorded in 1992'

I've just today been emailed over this huge 2 hour archive of Sega footage from UK TV in 1992, recorded on video back in the day and compiled now 20 years later by Youtube user DodgyKebaab. He wrote:

Hello, I used to be a huge Sega Fanboy back in the early 90's and I used to make VHS tapes of anything Sega related that I saw on TV.  Video game shows, TV adverts, promo tapes I managed to get my hands on, etc. All the footage is from British TV because that's where I live, anyway you can see the whole 2 hours worth of Sega rare footage here.

Included is clips from TV shows like Gamesmaster, Bad Influence and High Five, an ITV news report about the lanuch of Sonic 2, Chris Evans and the puppets Zig and Zag on the Big Breakfast show talking about the Mega CD and other games, promotional videos of games (one of which I recall owning), an episode of Adventures of Sonic and more. It's quite a mess, some adverts are featured several times in a row, and some are of Lego and other things, but well worth watching.

This right here is my childhood. List of highlights after the jump.

Virtua Fighter 1 Bandai keychain figures

 

At the same as I bought all those keychain Sega girls some time back I also got this set of six Virtua Fighter keychains. Judging by the auction they were produced by Bandai around the time the first Virtua Fighter game was released. I assume this is not a complete set either as Pai and Lau Chan are missing from the original roster of 8 here, or 9 if you count Dural but they rarely make toys of her. This is unless they just forgot those two for some reason, I guess I won't know unless I see some kind of packaging that these did not have. Either way check after the jump for more photos!

Sega Gals Keychain figures

I bought these two small keychain figures of Rage (from Virtua Cop) and Bahn (from Fighting Vipers) back at Summer of Sonic 2011, and ever since they have been waiting for some company from the same set..

..until now! Recently I bought this small collection of Sega keychain figures that are exactly like these two, right down to the little blue stands with their names on. These however are from a different set released at the same time (1998) of Sega's many ladies! Hit the jump for photos galore and more info on the (almost) complete set.

Say this in an angry Batman voice: "Where's Sonic?"

It's rare to see a Sonic book hitting shelves that isn't either the elusive History of Sonic book, or an Archie Comics compilation. So when I saw this, I was very intrigued. “Where’s Sonic?: A Search-And-Find Adventure” is a Where’s Waldo/Wally style book in which fans try and find Sonic as well as other items as they litter recognizable zones and stages from the franchise. Looks like they'll be using CG renders throughout, most likely pre-existing poses, and the book will probably only span Generations and perhaps Colors. However, I would be surprised if Riders, All-Stars Racing and Unleashed get their own pages. Currently the book is only listed in the UK and Australia. Amazon UK is taking pre-orders for £2.99 with free shipping within the UK. The release date is October 11th, so until then try to find Shadow creeping in the shadows in the image above.

Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de: An anime with Sega characters, sort of.

Well this is the weirdest thing I have seen in some time. There is going to be an anime airing from next month in Japan called Aoi Sekai no Chuushin de that, according to MyAnimeList is:

Segua Kingdom has been losing the war against Ninterdo Empire but the tables are turned by the appearance of a boy called Gear. All the characters are parodies of Nintendo or Sega games such as Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda etc.

and they included an image:

 Not terribly obvious from that artwork but the guy with the blue hair is a parody of Sonic. Not clear enough? This image from the already existing manga probably will..

More info (what info there is so far) after the jump.

An infamous Sonic Says in 3D

Regulars to SEGA Memories should know of our love for all things "The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog". Even those who aren't steeped in the series know of the many memes to come from it, as well as the infamous Sonic Sez Says segment in which Sonic warns of molestation. In what is one of the most creative remixes of the original, a fan animated a 3D model of classic Sonic in Source Filmmaker and created this 3D recreation. If anything, it's the first believable video I've seen of Jaleel White voicing a Sonic Generations classic Sonic. I have to say, it works really well!

USAopoly reveals the Sonic Monopoly board!

The USAopoly Facebook page has revealed the upcoming Sonic Monopoly game board. Just standing back and looking at it, it’s a really great looking board! The design looks nice, a ton of zones and stages are represented. And unlike the Nintendo Monopoly game, thought has been put into the renaming of the chance and community chest cards. Seriously, the Nintendo Monopoly was garbage compared to this beauty. Players bought characters like property and built houses on them. How does that work? Gives a whole new meaning to Hotel Mario. Fans have taken note that the Genesis/Mega Drive games really get the shaft with only three properties representing the classics, and all three are from Sonic Generations. Meanwhile, Sonic 4 receives three properties and Sonic Riders, a spin-off title, receives two. If you’re really bothered by the property selection, just use my custom Sonic Hogopoly board.

Summer of Sonic 2012 - Cosplay Contest

Sorry for the delay, here is some more video footage of Summer of Sonic 2012, this time of the cosplay contest! This time they did things differently: in previous years they had every single cosplayer go up on stage to be picked based on everyones cheering, which is kind of a hard thing to judge I would imagine, so this time they had a panel of judges give each cosplayer points throughout the day and the top 10 of those went up on the stage in the afternoon. This meant the contest on stage was a lot shorter than previous years.

The pair dressed as banjo and Kazooie are friends of mine who did it for a laugh, and despite being only very loosey related to anything Sonic (having been in the X-box 360 version of All-Stars Racing) still managed to get 4th place! As for the top winner, I'll give you a WILD guess (heh heh) but even if you don't like the character you got to admit that is a stunning costume. I asked the woman who wore it how long it took her to make, and she said about 4 or 5 months. Not surprised! I still don't get how the eyes seem to look forwards no matter what way the head turns, it's kinda spooky!

Summer of Sonic 2012 - Video Tour

The Summer of Sonic 2012 coverage here at Sega Memories begins here! In this first video you will see the queue outside the Brighton Centre early on, us walking into the venue, checking out the free goodie bag, watching some All-Stars Transformed gameplay, watching the event introduction on the screens and stage, and a tour of the 2nd floor, including what is in the merch booth this year! I have other videos coming soon, including the cosplay contest, the Jun Senoue jam session and I also have lots of photos to share, so stay tuned!

New Sega t shirts from Meatbun are magical.

Meatbun have some crazy talent designing their gaming related tees, and I get the feeling they may have a bit of a Sega fan streak in them judging by how 3 out 4 of their latest designs are Sega inspired. Many are quite surprising mash ups too!

First up, Passing Breeze. This looks like it could have come directly out of a mid to late 80s Japanese indie fan magazine, right down to the manga like toning. A gorgeous illustration that nails the vibe of the classic Outrun.

The other two designs after the jump!

Modern Sonic F4F Statue Revealed

Via their Facebook page, First4Figures have revealed the first in their modern line of Sonic statues: Sonic the Hedgehog. Like the photo says, pre-orders start May 15th, 2012 and there will be a very limited number of statues available. I have to say, when I heard of a modern line I was iffy, but this statue looks great! While I won't be getting it, the F4F statues are too rich for my blood, I do love looking at photos of them.

Video game adaptations return in Sonic Super Special Magazine #3

Here at SEGA Memories we usually don't cover the Archie Sonic comics, except for special occasions and collection posts. Main reason is, I don't follow the series anymore and neither does Gagaman. However I did want to highlight the latest issue of the Sonic Super Special Magazine. Taking its title from the 48 page specials of the '90's, Sonic Super Special Magazines collect old materials and usually adds in a few new bits via short comics and articles. The magazines consist of harder covers, but inside is a softer newspaper-like paper. So despite the larger than comic book size, they are pretty light. The previous issue of the magazine collected the Archie adaptation of Sonic Adventure from the late '90's, which was quite a bizarre story arc at the time. Imagine the SatAM universe suddenly having to incorporate humans, Station Square, Chaos and massively contradictory Knuckles backstory. Suffice to say, it was a mess, but it was a fun mess. In this third issue, Archie decided to do a little marketing tie-in with the soon to be released Sonic 4 Episode 2. Since I'm a sucker for game adaptations and marketing tie-ins, I picked this issue up.

Sonic the Nendoroid!

The Nendoroid range is a series of small, super deformed action figures made by Good Smile Company that have mostly been based on anime franchises. Sega has been associated with this range a bit thanks to their connection with the Hasume Miku phenomenon (the recent 3DS game Project Mirai is even somewhat based on how the Nendoroid toys look), and there was a Sakura Wars pair in the range. This company rarely does non-human characters, with exceptions being that of Mickey and Minnie Mouse as well as some baseball mascots, and now Sonic the Hedgehog! See more photos and details after the jump!

E3 2000 Power Stone 2 Shirt From the Dreamcast Glory Years

Ah, SEGA memories...

SEGA's third party years have been great, don't get me wrong, but I still miss the wonderful years of the Dreamcast. Between '99 and 2000, before 2001's January death announcement, being a Dreamcast fan was great. Tons of great games coming out, and tons of great games to look forward to. I remember following E3 in 2000, and being so hyped for the games being shown off. Shenmue was obviously the most epic game shown, but I was also intrigued by Capcom's Dreamcast launch game sequel Power Stone 2. Today's piece of merch from yesteryear isn't a SEGA item, but it IS very much associated with SEGA's past. After the break, let's take a look at a Power Stone 2 shirt from E3 2000!

The Game Gear TV Tuner: It's last day.

Today is the day the digital TV switchover happens in my area of the UK. This means all analog TV signal is being switched off for good. Because of this, all Sega Game Gear TV Tuners will not be able to tune in anything here anymore, deeming them as nothing but a static noise emulator for your Game Gear.

When I recorded this video this morning, I was expecting the thing to not pick up anything as my actual TV has lost all analog channels, yet it still managed to pick up ITV. Yes, that is about as good as a reception as you would get with this device anyway.

Still, sad to see one of Sega's old innovations (as daft looking as it was) come to an end, sort of like seeing the online servers of Dreamcast games go down, but not really.

Also Woody Pop is one of the best games on the Game Gear, haters get out.

The French Edition of The History of Sonic Book Goes to Print

Remember this thing? Back in December it was thought we'd be seeing it in January. Then it was pushed to February, then March. Well now, thanks to an email from publisher Pix'n Love, the book has been confirmed to be approved by SEGA and has now gone to print. The printing process will take four weeks. This all applies to the FRENCH version of the book, though it should be assumed that since an English version has been confirmed, that SEGA's approval covers both languages. The only question is: has the English version also gone to print? Pix'n Love's English site has yet to announce the book, so unfortunately at the moment there is no new news on the English version, but it's good to hear that the French version should be out by late April.

The Jazwares Facebook Page Gives Me a Nod

This was a nice surprise! Jazwares came across a photo of one of my shelves and featured it on their Facebook page. They didn't know whose it was, so I claimed credit in the comments box. Nice to see my display getting a little recognition. What made me laugh were those who claimed to have more figures than me - it's not a competition, guys! And I don't doubt that there are those out there who collect every figure. And there were those who pointed out that I didn't have modern Amy Rose - she's not a favorite of mine, nor is it easy to find her figure without getting it bundled with other figures I already have. Anyway, if anybody from Jazwares is seeing this, thanks for the shout out! 

New Sega Girls phone strap things!

We don't often get to post about new Sega merch that is not Sonic, but here's something different, as little as it may be...

Phone strap/key chain things of different Sega ladies. A bit like the seires of figures they did a while back, but not quite as interesting really. Still, you get cute SD renditions of quite a few characters from games new and old, including Honey from Fighting Vipers, Ulala, Amy Rose, Fei-Yen from Virtual On, Selvaria from Valkyria Chronicles, the lead lady from Sakura wars and more. There is also a mystery one which is in a fighting stance so could be Sarah from Virtua Fighter? Just a guess. If you wanna pre-order they are up at AmiAmi and probably a few other places too.

Sonic: From Video Games to Board Games

Thanks to the Sonic Stadium's resident merch hound Hogfather, it has been discovered that American board game company USAopoly will soon be releasing a line of Sonic the Hedgehog games and puzzles due out in August 2012! Various online toy and game retailers have started posting up pre-orders for games and puzzles, including a Sonic die cut puzzle, a Sonic memory game and... a Sonic Monopoly! The last item mentioned is the most exciting of the three. Many franchises have gotten the Monopoly treatment, including Nintendo, World of Warcraft, Seinfeld, Simpsons and Futurama.

A Sonic Monopoly could be awesome, or it could be a disappointment. USAopoly has a history of some great versions of the classic game, such as the Simpsons version. However, other franchises aren't so lucky. Nintendo Monopoly, for example, features a plain white board with Nintendo characters acting as property. How uninspired! I only hope that some Sonic fans are working on the project, so we get a Monopoly that the franchise deserves. And hey, if it doesn't work out, you can always print out and play the Sonic Monopoly that I'm making!

[Source: Sonic Stadium Boards]

New Sonic Toys Revealed At New York's Toy Fair!

Another year, another Toy Fair. That means more Sonic toys from Jazwares! Unlike last year, which revealed a LOAD of 20th anniversary figures, this year is rather light despite the many figures and plush dolls crowding the booth. The first thing you'll notice is that they'll be removing the 20th anniversary logo and will be replacing it with a standard gold ring and Sonic logo. There are a few repackagings of existing items, such as the classic 3" figures in a four pack. The new additions to the line, seen for the first time in these photos include:

• Metal Sonic plush doll - seen above
• Modern PVC figure set including Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy and Metal - seen above in front of the classic PVC set
• Chaotix figure 3-pack featuring Charmy, Vector and Espio - seen after the break

Sega Magazine Highlight: Surf's Up! Sega's website from 1995!

Here's another neat article found in the official UK Sega magazine, from issue 15 (March 1995) featuring Sega of America's website at the time! Would you look at that! I thought this would be an interesting thing to put up as there is no way to access far back anymore: the Way back machine can go as far back as late 1996 but even that site was no where near as basic as this! Look at all that stock clip art and flame text! I also quite dig the pixel art of Sonic and Knuckles with the Sega logo surrounded by a web. Get it? Because it's a WEB site? Oh boy.

What's more Richard Leadbetter sums up the Internet in a way that shows that it really hasn't changed much at all! He also complains that the site was really quite slow compared to other websites at the time, but also states that the site has only been online for around three months. Does that mean this is the first ever revision of the official Sega website? Haha, wow.

Comix Zone promotional comic strip.

Now here's something I can't say I have seen anywhere before: a free promotional comic strip for the Mega Drive cult classic Comix Zone! This was a freebie with issue 38 of Mean Machines Sega (the issue of which was when the mag became an official one), though I would imagine it was available to pick up in game stores or events for free too.

While the comic is has no credits as to who made it, I would recognise that art style anywhere! Surely it is none other than Brain Williamson, who worked on many Sonic the Comic stories including Kid Chameleon, Eternal Champions, a couple Sonic stories and helped on the Mutant League story too. More than likely it is Steve White doing the colouring, as he did on most of Brain's other S.T.C art, and has that same psychedelic look to it. No idea who the writer could be, mind. Makes you wonder how Comix Zone never became a S.T.C series really, though by around 1995 they were giving up on non-Sonic franchise strips, the last of which was a Shining Force story in '96.

Without further a-do, check out scans of the entire comic after the jump!

Sega Magazine Highlight: Sonic Merchandise Showcase

One of the best articles (at least for this blog) that I found in my new collection of the official UK Sega magazine was this two page article about Sonic Merchandise from Issue #5 (from May 1994). It shows off tons of the Sonic toys, clothes, stationary, books and even food from the era, most of it I either had (and in many cases still own) or at least remember, with many things I forgot all about but this article sent memories flooding back! Best part is they even tell you where to buy them and how much they were!

In particular interest (for me anyway) is the food items, as for obvious reasons next to no one would have thought to keep any of the packaging for that. I was a Sonic collector even back then, but I wasn't that sad! I do remember sticking the crisp packets into scrapbooks though. Who remembers the Daily Milk Easter Egg? The Chocolate rolls? How about the MEGA MILK, which sounds a bit too close to Chemical Planet Zone's purple water of death "Mega Mack"?

One thing I defiantly don't remember is the official Birthday cake from Sainsburys. For one of my birthday's I had a basic chocolate cake that had Sonic Pogs decorated on it. My mum knew exactly what stuff from this she bought me back then, including some of those daft looking trainers! Also lol, they don't know who Sally Acorn is.

BONUS! Found a news snippet in issue 8 featuring another Sonic food stuff I forgot all about...toffee biscuits! How exciting!

Sega Official UK Magazine 1994-95

So I've finally got my hands on a complete set of this magazine. A friend of mine is moving to Sweden soon and is selling a majority of his game collection, and he let me have these for nothing. I also bought a bunch of stuff from him including a pile of Game Gear games, a Sega Nomad and even a Tiger Game.com with Sonic Jam, because of reasons.

All 22 issues are here. it was a pretty short lived magazine at least by this name, as afterwards it was renamed to the official Sega Saturn magazine, of which I have all but a few of those. I did have a load of these mags as a kid, but you know how it is: they probably got binned due to lack of space. Also got some Mean Machines Sega mags including one with a bonus Comix Zone comic strip, which I have never seen before (want to scan this soon). Got a few of the freebies from the official mag too like a large 'History of Sonic' up to 1993 thing and a huge Virtua Fighter 1 poster in all it's blocky goodness.

My friend also found a Sonic sticker album which he is posting over to me. Not sure how many stickers it needs but we'll see! Either way as far as I can tell there are barely any scans of these mags online so I hope to get time to bring you scans of some highlights.

Metal Sonic statue is here! Photos galore!

Came home this afternoon to find this sitting in my corridor! As you could probably guess I couldn't wait to tear this box open (well, tear it open in a very careful nerdy manner anyway) to see! I don't have time for an unboxing video so I took a truck load of photos instead! Just play this music in the background while looking at the pics and will get a similar impression!

Lots (and lots and lots) more photos after the jump!

Jazwares Sonic Generations Statue Hits the Ground Running!

The 2013 Guinness Book of Records Gamer Edition better give Sonic the award for most statues produced for a video game mascot's anniversary. The latest commemorative statue, released by Jazwares in the United States (more territories have yet to be confirmed), may not stack up against the fancy First4Figures release or what was offered in the Sonic Generations Collector's Edition. The scale is smaller than the other statues released and the paint job is typical Jazwares quality. However, there are a lot of good things to say about the statue, and it is a great addition to any Sonic collector's shelf!

First4figures teases new Tails statue.

So First4Figures have just stuck this picture up recently on their Facebook of yet another statue in their classic Sonic range, this time of Tails flying on what appearers to be a stand based on the Mushroom Hill zone.

I have to say though, "Coming in 2012" seems very unlikely to me, seeing as we are only just now getting our orders for the Metal Sonic statue, which was revealed in 2010, and there is a Knuckles statue due before this one as well, so judging by how each statue has eventually shown up one per year around Jan/Feb, a more realistic date for this one may be something like 2014. Fine by me, to be honest: I wouldn't be able to afford more than one of these a year and to be honest I might not pre-order the Knuckles and wait till the regular version is in shops like Forbidden Planet. My wallet can only take so much punishment!